10 Principles Of Effective Web Design - Smashing UX Design Advertisement Usability and the utility, not the visual design, determine the success or failure of a web-site. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist. We aren’t going to discuss the implementation details (e.g. where the search box should be placed) as it has already been done in a number of articles; instead we focus on the main principles, heuristics and approaches for effective web design — approaches which, used properly, can lead to more sophisticated design decisions and simplify the process of perceiving presented information. Please notice that you might be interested in the usability-related articles about 10 Usability Nightmares1 and 30 Usability Issues2 we’ve published before,we’ll cover more principles of effective design in our following posts. 1.
Core77 / industrial design magazine + resource / home Visual Design Basics Visual design focuses on the aesthetics of a site and its related materials by strategically implementing images, colors, fonts, and other elements. A successful visual design does not take away from the content on the page or function. Instead, it enhances it by engaging users and helping to build trust and interest in the brand. Basic Elements of Visual Design The basic elements that combine to create visual designs include the following: Lines connect two points and can be used to help define shapes, make divisions, and create textures. Principles for Creating a Visual Design A successful visual design applies the following principles to elements noted above and effectively brings them together in a way that makes sense. Unity has to do with all elements on a page visually or conceptually appearing to belong together. Example of Pulling it all together Additional Information
Web Design Trends in 2012 It’s that time of year again, where we look into our crystal ball to see what will be the hot trends in web design for the upcoming year. It’s no secret that trends come and go, with some hanging around longer than they should. (Yes, splash page, I’m talking about you.) But trends are a necessity in the development and growth of our craft. Trends are born, improved upon, and often spawn other trends. So as a web designer, when you apply trends to your projects, challenge yourself to expand upon them and make them your own. As you read this article, keep in mind that the shift in trends from one year to the next may be subtle, and you will probably recognize some of these trends already. 1. I believe eventually, we’ll all stop talking about responsive web design – not because it will go away, but because it will become what’s expected. The continued introduction and adoption of more an more mobile devices is what will make 2012 the year of the responsive web site. 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 8. 9.
35 Websites To Teach You How To Use CSS Effectively | Graphic and Web Design Blog CSS ( Cascading Style Sheets) are the modern standard for presenting website. Combined with structural markup language like HTML, XHTML – CSS fully take care about presentation part, creating that good concept – HTML = Content, CSS = Presentation. If you know CSS, you can really do everything controlling spacings, borders, positioning, margins, paddings, colors, fonts, background images, hover effects and more presentational effects. In this article, you’ll have all the best resources available, which will teach you how to use CSS really effectively. 1.W3Schools CSS Tutorial Section 2.HTMLDog – CSS Tutorial Section 3.CSS-Tricks Tutorials, Articles And Screencasts Great website maintained by Chris Coyier, who constantly offer on his site many useful CSS tutorials and screencasts. 4.Google Videos – CSS 5.A List Apart – CSS Tutorial Section 6.RichInStyle CSS Tutorial Section 7.HTMLGoodies CSS Tutorial Section 8.CSS-Discuss Wiki Tutorial Section 9.Positioning Is Everything 12.CSSBasics Tutorials 29.
Web Site Accessibility Tutorials, Webpage Accessibility Books, Articles, CSS and Accessibility - Web Site Resources, Website Tips - WebsiteTips This section includes annotated links to helpful Web accessibility articles and tutorials, Web sites or sections devoted to Web accessibility, and recommended books on Web accessibility. Tutorials include CSS and accessibility, creating accessible PDF files, accessible DHTML and multimedia, Web accessibility for visual impairments, Web sites devoted to Web accessibility, and more. You'll also find articles on why Web site accessibility matters, along with helpful Web accessibility books that go into a great deal of detail about how to create and implement Web sites with accessibility in mind. For U.S. Do you know of some good articles, tutorials, tips, Web sites, books, or other resources related to Web site accessibility? Accessibility Articles and Tutorials The following articles cover information about accessibility while tutorials help with how to include accessibility features for your Web site. Know of others? Accessibility Articles top ‘On this page’ menu CSS and Accessibility
Elements and principles of design The elements and principles of design are the building blocks used to create a work of art. The elements of design can be thought of as the things that make up a painting, drawing, design etc. Good or bad - all paintings will contain most of if not all, the seven elements of design. The Principles of design can be thought of as what we do to the elements of design. note - the hyperlinks within the text of this page will open information in a new browser window. LINE Line can be considered in two ways. SHAPE A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. DIRECTION All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. SIZE Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another. TEXTURE Texture is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. COLOUR Also called Hue see notes on colour VALUE Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. BALANCE Balance in design is similar to balance in physics
Techniques for creating modal windows Modal windows are most commonly described as anything that captures the user’s attention, and doesn’t allow them to return to the previous state until they interact with the object in question. Now, that is a bit convoluted and I think it is better addressed with a few examples of websites that use the technique really well. One of those is Build It With Me which does it really well. Often times when working with modals they are used to clean up user interfaces and try to enhance the user’s experience—but it is important to remember that sometimes they do the exact opposite. To give you a better example of how to do them right, we will talk theory—then afterwards we will get into examples to show you how to implement them into responsive design. Modal theory The basic theory of the user interface element for modals can be rather intertwined with other UI theorems that we will only tangentially touch on here. Coding a basic modal window The HTML Elements The CSS elements The jQuery
Javascript Date Validation Date Validation Javascript for Date Validation - mm/dd/yyyy format Its good practice to validate form date values using client side JavaScript validation along with your programming language validation. The following example shows how you can do this for the mm/dd/yyyy format. We have also provided the javascript date validation for the dd/mm/yyyy format. JS Date Validation Example Validate Date using javascript Cut and Paste Code Cut 'n' paste code for the above Example Explanation of the Code The JavaScript has the following main functions: isDate Function Function isDate is used to verify if the given value is a valid date in the format (mm/dd/yyyy) : This function first specifies the non-digit character which is allowed in the date ("/" is used here). // Declaring valid date character, minimum year and maximum yearvar dtCh= "/"; var minYear=1900; var maxYear=2100; If the valid date character is changed please make sure you replace it in the HTML and Javascript code too. ValidateForm Function
Smashing UX Design — Usability, Psychology and Information Architecture Tips for Planning your own Design Studio Getting started in freelance web design is an exhilarating process. Along with the added stresses of daily work you actually become your own boss, set your own hours, and even choose who you will work with. It’s truly a great way to earn a living! Now consider the steps required to move from a freelance artist into launching your own design studio. Under your own brand name you can land much higher-quality projects and build up a solid portfolio of works. Well there is certainly a laundry list of answers here, so I’ll focus on just a select few. Creating a Brand When sitting down to plan your business model you’ll have to consider a number of factors. The official branding for your agency may only take a few hours to complete. custom profile avatar photoaccounts on social networks(Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest)business cardscontact e-mail addresses Build What you Can The biggest factor in failure rates of startup design studios is overextending your workload. Work for Consistency SimpleBits